A Chemist's Trip Thorugh Europe

Got Nytt Ar - Happy New Years in Swedish

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:38:08 GMT

Fireworks are not illegal here (in any fashion). So people buy multiples of these these $100 boxes of fireworks that shoot 50-100 feet up into the air. They fire them all day. So it's once every five or ten minutes during the day, mostly kids though shooting firecrackers But at night, they pick up. By midnight there are hundreds going off per second for a solid 20-30 minutes. So we went up on a big hill where we could see the entire city to watch and drank our hot, mulled, spiced wine. It was like standing in World War two during shellings. It was amazing.

A Swedish Thanksgiving

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:33:04 GMT

A Swedish Thanksgiving

Jule in Liseberg!

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:40:54 GMT

So over a month without any posts. How sad! How sad! Well not a lot of interesting things have been going on here, especialy no picture-worthy events.

But last night, Kelly and I went to Liseberg again. Why Liseberg, again you say? Well after the summer season, Liseberg closes down and sets all of their Jule (Christmas) decorations, which includes a ton (and I mean that in the literal sense) of lights. They only open a few of the rides, but mostly it's the addition of all the vendors and the decorations that draws in the people. Last night was their reopening, and boy was I impressed. The sheer number of lights was awing and beautiful. Some of the trees looked like they were made out of light themselves. I now know that the 'Christmas Bush People' from down the street (Kyle and Dad know what I mean) mus t be Swedish. Only they know how to get that kind of even light coverage.

I tried taking pictures while I was there, but it's tough taking light pictures at night. Here's some of the best:

First off: That's the Skytower they made into a tree. Yes, the 10 story thing that takes you up and circles around to let you look at the city. You can basically see this tree from all over the city (at least my part of the city). I just think it's cool.

The entrance to Liseberg.

Checkout the ice rink they setup outside in the concert area.

I love the reflection in the lake in this one.

The most in focused picture of the night! Yay! (And still beautiful)

Me posing outside the mini-ski slope they setup for little kids to ski.

They even decorated the long escalator up the mountain to the SkyTower with electric blue lights and snowflakes.

BE AFRAID! It's the scarey St. Lucia painting outside the Haunted House. St. Lucia's Day is HEAVILY celebrated here.

Another Trip to Maja's!

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:56:14 GMT

Maja and Kelly were planning on baking cookies at Maja's place with her children, Yani and Linus yesterday, and Maja also decided to have lunch and invited me over as well. Lunch was delicious (as usual), as I have discovered that crawfish are really yummy. I didn't think I was going to be able to fit into Maja's kitchen to help with the baking, as there were already two women and 2 children, so I sat in the den with Maja's husband talking of all things, science. Maja's husband is an organic chemistry professor at the university. So his recent exam was mostly what we talked about. (organic theory is something that I like discussing but cannot practice as making things is actually kinda boring).

After the cookies were finished, and I ate more than my fill, we went out for a walk to go feed the cows. Well really, Maja, Kelly and I walked. The kids rode their bikes. Yani being solder would ride his bike down to the end of the block and wait for us, but Linus (being 3) pretty much rode along side with us, pedaling as fast as his little legs could taken him. I think on little kids bikes, they purposely make them at a higher gear just so older people can keep up with them. Anyways we visited these cows, which were kept down in a fenced in area closer to the river that leaders to the ocean. Only these aren't your normal dairy cows. These are shaggy, stout cows. We brought a couple of carrots and crackers that the little ones threw from an overlook along the side of the fence, but the cows were far on the other side of the field. Once they noticed we were there, they came (slowly) over to us. Basically one cow (the dominate female I assume) found all out presents, and the rest of the cows moved in. They surrounded the fence; I'm assuming they wanted more food, but we were empty.

We finally went back and were convinced to stay for dinner. More food from the Maja family. It was a realy great day indeed.

Svenska Lektion A2

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:17:13 GMT

So, this week marks the end of the second week of my Intermediate Swedish class, though I missed the first week. And I have to say I'm not entirely happy. It's a huge class (18 people) for three hours two nights a week. The teacher is a really nice person, but he's far less organized than any class I've ever had. Mostly we spend the first half of the class going around the room checking our homework (which consists of sentences with the verb missing and we have to fill in with the correct conjugated verb.) The second half, we talk about something, like the country we're from or what we did over the weekend. It feels like I'm paying the Folk Universitet to let me practice. And since there are 18 of us, and not the 4 I had in my last class, you don't really get a lot of time to practice. I mean it's still helpful as it's difficult for me to use a lot of Swedish in my normal life because English is so easy to use, but it could be a whole lot better.

Te optimist in me tells me not to pass judgment so soon in the class, but I’m still worried I could be getting a whole lot more for the $300 I paid.

Are Swedes really that normal?

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:55:04 GMT

A coworker, Ingela, put this article on my desk yesterday, and I needed to share it with the rest of the world. Check it out here http://www.talarforum.se/article/colin_moon/158/are_swedes_really_that_normal-colin_moon.pdf. Oddly, it's pretty true. Sometimes I question how anyone really gets any work done here, as there are always meetings or people not here (usually they are sitting outside just enjoying the sunshine.). Yet, the Swedes are really good at being efficient at what they do. So I have yet to figure it all out, but I think I'll have a pretty good idea after two years.

Another Week Without Posts

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:02:29 GMT

So another week's gone by, and I've starting this trend of not posting. Well I hope this week was because of my continued poor health and not a new trend. Yeah, I was still sick all week. Mostly my body's just been so tired. The brain function well enough, but the eyes screamed, "Close ME!"

I really though I would be OK on Monday, as over last weekend I was feeling alright. But I got up on Monday morning, showered, shaved, got dressed. All as normal. But as I sat down to put on my shoes, I suddenly lifted my head to find that I had lost 2 hours. I them proceed to curl up and bed and sleep another 2 hours. I finally drag myself to school to get all the info I need to goto the doctor and proceed there. Unlike last week, the doctor's office was packed. I took my number and waited.

When I finally got to see someone after four hours, for the cheap price of 200 kronor no less (rather than the 1500 they quoted me last week Go Fig.), the doctor basically said, "it sounds like a virus and all you can do is rest." A normal response here from what I understand. They saw me for maybe 5 minutes and prescribed me a decongestant and some cough syrup. Yeah I needed a prescription for Sudafed and NiteQuil. lol.

So I went to the closest apoteket (pharmacy) to fill my prescription (they e-mail them here so you can go to any one) and then to Folkuniversitet since they are all in the same area. At Folkuniversitet, I found my Swedish teacher to explain my situation and find out what we're going to do that night. And finally I go home to sleep.

And sleep is what I did. I think I slept 15-20 hours everyday last week except for Thursday when I tried to go school. But on Saturday I starting feeling well enough to move around. So I tried airing out my room and doing my laundry. I had been living in the same 2 pairs of jeans and two sweatshirts all week. And my comforter just felt nasty. It was really to feel somewhat normal again. I'm not perfect yet, but I am definately going to school. I can't wait to spend a day outside of my room!

(Plus while I was sick I put together a list of odd things about Sweden. Hopefully I can put them together and post them sometime soon)

First Cold of the New World

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:01:44 GMT

I haven't been posting as much this week because somehow on Tuesday I caught a nasty cold. Mostly I've been extremely tired, a little stuffy in the chest and throat, and achey in my head and legs. I tried sticking it out, going to school and continuing to setup the lab, on Tuesday and Wednesday because I needed set up a massive order with one of the lab supply companies. Unlike in the US, I can't really go and order things for the lab as I need them. I have to tell Maja what I need and either she orders it or passes it along to one of the secretaries. It helps keep us more accountable for what we buy, but I'd really like to get things setup as son as possible (as would Andy as he is really pressuring me). So I put together a spreadsheet with all the catalog numbers of all the things I found we need (a list that I put together the week before as I unpacked the things we shipped over from the US). And since Maja is going to be in the US next week, working with the lab there to learn how we do a lot of the nanofabrication things we do, it needed to get done last week.

Thursday comes along and I just could stand it anymore. With the help of Ann-Sofie, I found my way to the equivalent of the doctor. To see someone, you grab a number, wait for it to get called, talk to a nurse at triage, and then see someone. I only got to the triage part though, twice. The first time they needed identification (why have this person number system if you can't give give the number). Oh I can handle that, So I go home (45 tram across the city), grab the passport (I can't wait for my Swedish ID), head back on the tram, and wait again. This time when I get up to tirage, she asks for my EU card. I blink a few times to grab my bearings and ask what that is. Apparently it's a European Union insurance card. No they couldn't take my American insurance card, it need to be a EU card otherwise it would be 1500 kronor (~$200.00). I didn't have the energy to try and understand it better nor did I want to pay $200.00 for a doctor to tell me I had a virus (which is what the nurse said I probably have when I described my symptoms. All I wanted to do was go home and rest. And that's exact;y what I did.

Friday and Saturday I spent the day in bed, mostly sleeping, listening to the radio, and watching a random DVD or two on my computer. I am appreciative that I had a lot of calls on Friday to make sure I was doing OK. Everyone was making sure nothing serious had happened to me. I groaned a little every time I heard the phone ring or IM buzz, (all I wanted to do was sleep), but looking back on it, I'm glad they did. And apparently the insurance thing is taken care of, I just have to pay for it and get reimbursed.

Today I went grocery shopping because I was out of food. That drained a lot out of me; so I think tomorrow I will try and see the doctor again. Hopefully I'll be out before my Swedish class starts as I'm starting the intermediate level (M W 5:30pm-8:00pm for 6 weeks). Wish me better health!

Nice Day

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:14:05 GMT

Too nice a day to post anything. 68, sunny, and beautiful. I am out to wander about.

Cya!

Using the Elevator in Sweden is an 8 step process.

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:52:15 GMT

For all the smart, practical things I have I have seen in Sweden, there are still a bunch of surprises. One such is the elevator. So I bring to you, how to use a Swedish elevator.

The Elevator!

Step 1: Hit the button

Step 2: OPEN the elevator door.

Step 3: Step in the elevator.

Step 4: Close door.

Step 5: THEN choose your floor. Stand correctly so that you don't get yourself stuck!

Step 6: Slide your elevator card and put in your pin code.

Step 7: Watch the floors go by, making sure not to go near the door or past this grey sensor. Otherwise the elevator stops.

Step 8: Leave elevator and go about your day.

Welcome to your first year of college

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 22:31:14 GMT

All last week and this week, the students from this year's incoming class, known as Year Zeros, have been on campus. Apparently they come early (classes don't begin until September 1) for a series of team building exercises that last about 2 weeks. From how it's been explained to me, you get together with you major and bond with them over this time period, basically doing everything together. Everyone wears these cards around their necks that have '0' on the top and a 3x4 (at least I think it's 3x4, it might 2x5) grid pattern on the bottom and might be wearing the same clothes. There's a couple of older students that organize all this, leading them around and showing/telling them what to do. Each day they go around doing weird and kinda embarrassing stuns, so that they can fill in their cards. They usually end up having a cook out together at night in one of the many social areas (like in the garden/park area in front of the Chem building). Oddly it all sounds a little like Greek Rush week to me. ; )

So first story goes like this. At lunch, one of the other grad students was telling us how he saw a bunch of the year zero kids trying to slide down the stairs beside the chem build last week. Since the Chem building is built into the side of a huge hill, one side has a series of steps about four stories hight. Every half flight or so, there's a little landing and then the stairs continue. So one of the older students demonstrated how to do this. He grabbed one of those big plastic trays used to transport bread in the grocery store. He then sat down in it as he flies off down the stairs, crouching along the way. As he went down the stairs, he's shakes and bumps, but when he hit the landings, all is smooth as he used his momentum to carry him to the next set of stairs. it must have been quite the site. I wish I could have seen it for myself!

Second weird story was as I was leaving the Chemistry building today. There's a big lobby in the front of the building (it actually looks like the lobby was added onto the building much later as the decor is much nicer and there are windows, doors, and brick walls where the lobby meets the building) where many of the students hang out to eat, study, talk, rest. So as I'm walking out today, I see all these people standing in the front near the windows. But mostly they are just wearing jeans. Then I notice that most of them are missing shirts (men and women). Apparently they are changing and switching clothes in the middle of the building. I laughed, not believing what I saw, and leave the building thinking what other crazy things they have had to do.

Edited on September 5, 2007: I found a picture of the cards! Here's what it looks like. It's really big and basically covers your whole torso.

Pizza Hut in Sweden?

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:09:14 GMT

So Kelly had this brilliant idea today of going to PizzaHut. Yes there's PizzaHuts in Sweden! They're only located in the center par of town (the touristy area along the Aveney). Now I should explain why this is really funny. The Sweds (and most of Europe it seems) really likes their pizza. It comes as a personal pizza, about 12-14" in diameter, and a slightly thing crust. They will put anything on it, and you start out eating it with a knife and fork. A typical pizza consists of meat, veggies, and a sauce. Meats vary from sausage, chicken, shrimp, tuna, gyro (kebab) meat, mussels, anything. Veggies are a little more common, the typical onions, peppers, mushrooms, lettuce (uncooked), olives (unpitted and rolling on the pizza), whole banana peppers. Then the sauce is usually but on top of the cheese. And this is isn't your mom's tomato sauce. You're more likely to get tzatziki or bernaise sauce or one of the many other looser sauces they put on meat. Finally, every pizza comes with a 'sallad,' which consists of a vinegar-based cabbage coleslaw and spices (looks like black pepper to me).

Go to any pizza shop, (which will probably be run by a family of Middle Eastern immigrants) and you will find a menu of pizza names that count at least 40, but sometimes upward a 100 different types of pizza. You do have your standard calzone and you have your ham and mushrooms – type of pizzas. But they are soon dwarfed by pizza combinations you could never think of! Curry, banana, pineapple. Tabasco, ground beef, chili, garlic and onion. Mozzarella, mussels, giant shrimp, garlic and parsley. There's too many for me to translate! And don't know them until you've tried them. Normally they turn out pretty good.

So the curiosity to try a Pizza Hut in Sweden was just too great. Would it be like the American style I grew up with or would it be the Swedish style I'm am growing to love?

Well first of all, the restaurant is completely different. It's more like stepping into a trendy downtown restaurant than the actually pre-fab huts were all used to in the states. There's a patio outside where you can sit and enjoy the fresh air (complete with blankets and heaters for when it gets cold). The inside is stylishly designed, and upstairs you'd find the bar. This ain't Kansas anymore.

As for the pizza, I'd say it was a hybid of the two styles. The hand-tossed, pan, and cheese-filled crusts were all present. But, hand-tossed is known as 'Italian' here, and the pan pizza wasn't quite as thick. The topping selection was a little less crazy, using only the most common ones. Being the food adventurer that I am, I was able to order a Tokyo pizza which was their vegetarian pizza (onions, green onions, red peppers, and sliced tomatoes) with teriyaki sauce on top. It actually turned out really good.

We had waffles with ice cream and what I think was strawberry sauce for dessert. Yes a real dessert menu. All for about $20, which isn't bad for a prepared meal in Sweden. I forgot my camera but will take some pictures when I get a chance to go again. Yay for new adventures.

Tea Time

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:38:36 GMT

Today was going to be a wonderful day. Maja had this great idea on Thursday to head out to the archipelago Saturday, which is a series of four islands (I think it's four) just south of the city. It's where everyone in the city goes for day trips during the summer when they want to get out of the city. And the Sweds always want to get outside and out of the city. To get there you basically take a ferry that uses the same fare as the trams. So I could ride down there for my normal tram fare which translates to about $3.00 (very cheap to travel across the city and on a boat if you ask me).

Unfortunately, the weather did not want to cooperate with us at all. Friday was an amazing day weather wise, blue skies, 70 degrees, little humidity. It was like perfect weather to go outside. Everything was looking peachy for today as well! Even the forecast said more of the same. .... But then this morning hit. I wokr up to tons of fog, a rain storms, gusting winds, and cold. Right as I start to head out the door to catch the tram since it would take me 45 minutes to get to the boat where we were meeting, Maja calls me saying the trip was cancelled. And honestly it was waaaay too cold to be going out there. It wouldn't really have been much fun.

BUT! Maja says we'll just have you over for tea later this afternoon. Cool! If I haven't mentioned it before, coffee/tea in the afternoon is well followed here. We have it every morning and afternoon (10:00 and 3:00 respectively) when in lab. So for the first time in my life, I'm actually drinking a lot of tea. I don't think coffee with come along down the road because I like my caffeine cold and fizzy. Anyways, so I leave at 2:00 to try and be there by 2:30 for tea, but end up not really getting there until 3:00. I took a wrong tram and one that I needed, despite me being at the busiest part of town, didn't come for like 20 minutes when they usually come in 10 minute intervals. (This could be because it was the weekend).

Anyways, I finally get there to a waiting Maja and her three year-old son Linus (Lee-noos cause they are French after all and really really nice French people), who was long blond slightly curly hair. Where he gets it from, I have no clue because his parents both have black hair. We walk up to Maja's spectacular apartment, where I meet her other son, Yani, age & (I think).

I had a lot of fun having tea and just talking as well sat out on the balcony. It was surprisingly warm; I think because the balcony was kinda tucked into the side of the apartment. We ended up talking so long, it turned into dinner. It was funny how there was this huge apartment with six people trying to cram ourselves into this small kitchen. It was still fun though talking about science and who the Swedish economic system works and internet dating.

(Side note: It sounds like Europe's kinda jealous of the 'American Dream' so to speak. Since the taxes are so high here, it's much more difficult to get ahead of everyone else. On the flip side, it's really tough to fall behind. Whereas in the US, our lower taxes provide for better monetary gain but less protection in case we fall through the crack. The Swedish tax rate ranges from about 25%-50%, whereas the US is around 10%-30%. Think about how much extra money you'd have in your pocket if you lived in the US rather than Sweden. As Maja's husband said, sometimes it doesn't pay to make money. Now this is probably oversimplifying the who system, but it's the perception help by some Sweds and has helped me appreciate our economy more.)

Both of Maja's kids were great. Yani played the cool older brother, but he seemed to have a lot of fun cooking in the kitchen. Linus is wild but still a lot of fun. He was a little shy at first, but after our tea, all he wanted to do was play. As we walked up to the stairs to the apartment, he hid in his mom's arms and I played hide and seek with him. Then later after tea, he became more bold, wanting me to chase him or to play dead while he shot me. Oh I love playing with kids. Even better when they aren't mine and I can rile them up without paying the consequences. :)

It was 10:30 when I finally left, but I left with a full belly and a happy smile. What else could you ask for, huh?

Overheard at Lunch: Bras and Boxers!

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:38:10 GMT

Now I'm really enjoying meeting all the Sweds on my lab floor. We spend a lot of time together chatting because they have a nice lunch room on the floor where we have lunch (of course) and the mandatory coffee breaks (10:00 and 3:00).

There's Maja, the married, French, post-doc in my lab who's been living in Sweden for 7 or so years (she earned her PhD here). She's basically the lab mom, has an opinion on EVERYTHING, is extremely nice, and is willing to help you out regardless of what you need. Eric is very opinionated as well and will talk you ears, head, mouth, nose, whatever right off. He's very relaxed and a cool guy. Ingela (I swear I have to be butchering her name) is a happy, bubbly person. Then there's Johan (another name I know I am butchering), who is very quiet but likes to hang out with everyone too. Those have been the four that I've seen the most (plus who went out with me last week). Most of the floor's been on vacation since I've been here. But those are the ones I can name and know well enough.

Anyways here's the story for today: Maja was trying to get everyone to goto the gym yesterday for an aerobics class. Great idea! I mean the gym is the building next door. If I worked for Gothenburg University, it's be cheaper 'cause they pay for part of it. You can't lose right? (note: I didn't go because 1) I felt horrible Thursday 2) I have a free gym that's apart of my rent and 3) I don't like exercise classes. But it was still a really good idea to get people to go.) So she talked about it on Wednesday. And was asking everyone if they were going on Thursday.

During lunch she was asked Eric if he was going. After mumbling, trying to think of a good answer, Eric responds with, "I didn't bring any clothes." To which Maja responds coolly, "Well you have pretty nice boxers, you can wear those." My mouth just fell open. It was so funny and definitely not something I would hear at school in the states.

Then, later on we were discussing different exercises and what the class did. And how push ups don't work a useful part of the body; they're all for show. Maja replies that they work your pectorals and would life your breasts up. Ingela says, "Well that's what I wear a bra for! A bra can do that!" You can't but laugh with these people.

Do I miss anything in Sweden?

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:57:09 GMT

I had an interesting conversation with a friend over IM and thought everyone might like to hear.

Friend: Are there things you cannot get, in Sweden, that you miss? I have been curious about that
Me!: Not that I can tell so far. It has surprised me how similar to the US, Sweden is in terms of products.
Me!: The grocerey store has all the same things, if not the same brands. I was expecting to be totally clueless at the store, but it's not that hard really.
Me!: For example, I can get Sun-Maid raisins, or Uncle Ben's rice or sauces.
Me!: But sometimes it's brands that are just missing
Me!: So if I like a specific type of cereal, I might not find it now.
Me!: (I really miss my Almond Honey Bunches of Oats or my Cracklin' Oat Brand)
Me!: Biggest missing thing are medicines. They are tightly controlled here because health care is through the government. So no NightQuil when I get sick.
Friend: you cannot get certain over the counter things ? you have to go to a doctor?
Me!: Well for example NightQuil doesn't exist here at all
Me!: but yes
Me!: mostly
Me!: I've not been sick yet, so I've not been to the Apotek (the one and only pharmacy that is also controlled by the government)
Me!: So I don't know what's in there or not, but I suspect a lot will be difficult to get because I would need to see a doctor
Friend: interesting
Me!: They are almost afraid of antibiotics here. They're scared of over use and allowing bacteria to mutate so that they will be inpervious to the antibiotic.
Me!: It's particularly tough to get them

To expand further, here are some interesting shopping related thing I miss or were surprised to find.

Nothing here is open past 9:00. 10:00 is you're lucky. Most stores close at 7:00 in fact. And forget on Sunday, 5:00, that's it. It's just the grocery stores that will stay open that late. And even that is like 8:00. ugh. I miss being able to go grocery shopping at midnight or 5:00 in the morning if I want to, especially to bypass the long lines. Bring me a Wal-mart!

They love milk products here. There's mjölk(milk), filmjölk (thick milk), and yogurt. All of which is pourable and can be put onto cereal. Filmjölk is like a yogurt smoothie. It comes in different fruit flavors (like yogurt) but is thinner than yogurt. Yogurt is also thinner than American yogurt and comes in all different kinds of flavors, raspberry, strawberry, mild, extra bacteria ... yeah, you read that right. But they all come in cartons (one liter or less). What if I want a nice big gallon to last me two weeks? No? So I have to keep coming back every couple days, fighting against the long lines of people?

Frozen vegetables are plentiful. Yay! (For some reason I assumed those were an American, 'gotta have it now' 'rush, rush, rush' kinda thing)

Curry is easy to find. Yay! Veggie curry here I come.

Cheese is basically swiss cheese ... whole cases exist in the grocery stores (even the small grocery stores) of it Why they need so much of it totally escapes my mind. I chalk it up to, they love their milk here. So no (very little really) yellow cheese here!

Small grocery stores suck at give selection. I want a cereal aisle, not 10 boxes to choose from. (This is pretty much a problem with shopping around in the city. If I had a car to travel to a real supermarket, I'd be less unhappy).

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:03:11 GMT

Yesterday I went back to Liseberg, the largest amusement park in all of Scandinavia. Well i this is the largest, I hate to see what the smallest looks like, but like I've said before it is still an extremely fun place to go visit. I tried to take my camera this time, but my batteries died soon after we got into the park. Kelly was nice to let me have some of her pictures from last night and our first visit. Enjoy here!

Drink out with the Floor

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:13:01 GMT

The floor invited the new Americans out for a drink last night. So we went out on Aveny, in one of the many areas they setup for the Culture Fest. I had a great time. Too bad I had to cut the evening short, since I had Swedish class this morning. Though as I walked home, I ran into another concert outside the Art museum, only this time it was by a Christian Gospel ... I want to say choir, but it wasn't technically a choir. They were missing the robes. But they sure were overly happy like a gospel choir should be. It was really weird to see them; they made me chuckle. But it was a good reminder of the South. If I closed my eyes, it was almost as if I was back home. Then of course the rains came; so I went home. I didn't take many photos, but here are a couple.

This one was shot by Kelly. As we were hanging out, we notice this guy getting into this costume. Apparently, they were trying to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. I question their choice of attire, but when in Europe ...

Here's the choir I ran into at the Art museum stage.

Check out how shiney and fluorescent this guy's shirt is! Another choice of attire question, but what do I know?

My trip to Marstrand

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:56:21 GMT

On Sunday I took a steamboat to the little island of Marstrand with Folkuniversitet, just northwest of Göteborg. It was a blast checking out the island and having a picnic on the rocks. Check out my pictures here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikpack/sets/72157601589933123/) and a map of where I was here (www.hitta.se/SearchCombi.aspx?SearchType=4&wflWhite=1a1b&wflPink=4a&vad=&var=marstrand).

More bank and then onto real fun!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:45:27 GMT

So Kelly and I try the bank yet again. This was around 2:30 on a rainy day. When we get there, we both grabbed numbers and waited in line patiently. When my number's called, I explain my situation and hand my passport over ... only to be DENIED! Apparently you need a piece of paper with your personnummer on it in order to get a bank account. UGH! And my paper went the way of the dodo last week, when the trash I was suposed to take out opened and got yogurt and water from who knows where all over it, rendering the paper smelly and unreadable. Now to figure out a way to get a new one. Internet or go back to the tax office ... we'll see how this works out.

On happier news, later tonight I went on a field trip with Folkuniversitetet. This week is the Göteborg Culture Festival, and they planned to goto a jazz concert on the waterfront with fireworks later. Neat ... too bad the rain caused the concert to be canceled. Despite it being perfectly sunny when we met at 6:30, it was pretty wet up until then. So I learned we were going to the Art Museum, which is along the Aveny right by where I live.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures in the museum. It's pretty small though and not to overly inspiring. I saw one really neat optical illusion box and two extremely humongous, detailed maps of Rome and Göteborg in the 15th century. But on a whole, I'd skip the art museum on your trip to Göteborg if you have other pressing things to do. Fortunately there was a free concert by the local symphony right outside the art museum when we excited around 8:00. I listened and enjoyed for about an hour an a half but left when the rains came. Now on with the pics!

These first three are all in the same area as I walked to meet with Folkuniversitet; they are right outside Liseberg. First up is Korsvägen (pronounced korsh-vah-gen). This is the most difficult area to drive in Göteborg because it's a huge circle with many ways to go all picked in tightly together.

The Hotel Gothia Towers, which overlook the city and Liseberg. Apparently they serve a dish called Kingsize that consists of a piece of brad piled high with shrimp, probably enough for 2-4. I'll have to check it out one day.

And finally Universium (the local museum). Also, another place I need to visit.

This is a school I pass on my way to Folkuniversitet. Now this is a grade school I would want to goto. Lookat how HUGE it is! it's very majestic, no?

Just some roses I saw. I'm amazed by the number of flowers, let alone roses in the cite. They're really hard to grow, yet I see them ALL the time. You go Göteborg!

I
n the old part of the city, where the streets are all cobblestone and lined with cafes.

Yes! there is a Hard Rock Cafe! My favorite travel restaurant destination is here. Even though it is a franchise (basically meaning the prices are jacked waaay waaay up), I still love it. I ate there once already. now all I need to do is go back and buy me a shotglass.

So this was right before we went into the Art Museum. I just had to snap a picture of this poor marching band. The color guard seemed so clueless, but the one standing there in front (with the baton and her hand behind her back) has the most confident, smug smile on her while her mates looked so uncoordinated. It was like, "Yeah, we rock." But they do have marching band here, just for you, Dad and Kyle.

The Art Museum, this shot fails to showcase how big it really is. Despite me feeling that it had little to offer on the inside, the building is insanely huge. Maybe it's just cause I'm used to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (think Rocky). You can't even see everything in that place over the span of a weekend.

From the steps outside the Art Museum, looking down Avenyen towards the heart of the city.

Same place as before, only looking up. Ain't it purty?

Same place as before, only looking down over the crowd. Wow, that's a lot of people.

A zoom in of the statue of Poseidon.

The symphony!

The conductor. She was half the fun to watch.

DHL and Me!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:14:27 GMT

Today I got the package that my dad shipped to me. Well really I packed the package, and he sent it out to me. Mostly I packed things I wanted to bring that weren't essential but I couldn't fit into the luggage. Well I thought it was unessential stuff, but I was really waiting for my shaver and my plug adapters. Anyways, it arrived on Thursday, but DHL couldn't get into my building to deliver it. Understandable since you need a key (Sweds are in love with keys and security codes. They'll forget about their kids, letting wander aimlessly about a store or while they are perusing a home. But every doorway must have a lock!) to get inside the door to the mailbox or my room. So they send a note and I call them saying I'll be home 'Tuesday pm' to pick it up and not leaving a phone number because I did not have one yet.

Unfortunately, Swedish class doesn't really get out until 12:30, it's a 45 minute walk home. On top of that, I got sidetracked by everyone standing outside the chem building as I passed it. Apparently someone fell off his bike, and they needed to call an ambulance. He looked like he broke his collarbone. Ouch! Anyways, so it was 1:15 when I get home and no signs of a DHL truck. So I bring the laptop outside and wait ....

And wait ...

And wait ....

So after compiling the previous blog, I decide to venture to look for a DHL truck. I walk down the street, through my cut-through the park as if I am going to school to get to the main street and there's a huge DHL truck sitting right there. He's facing away from my street, so I think I missed him earlier and he's delivering other packages. So I stack out his truck, waiting to pounce on the driver as soon as I see him ... of course that takes 30 minutes. Suddenly he's starting his trunk, and I walk up to it waving my paper. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak English! The on time a Swed doesn't speak English, right when I need one the most! Either way, I hand him my paper and he looks at it for a good long while. Surely if he tried to deliver my package, he's recognize my name. From the look and his face, he did not. So I head back to my room somewhat positive that was not my deliverer.

Of course, right as I get within visual distance of my room, I see a DHL van drive on by perpendicular to the street I am walking down. So I do what any logical person would do, yup I start running waving my DHL slip in the air. As I get the the street he was driving on, he stops about a block down. So I run more! Finally reaching the parked van, I knock on the window. He opens it and says, "Nick?" YES! So I hop in the van and we drive back to my room. Of course I had to roll my 100 pound box up 2 flights of stairs, but I finally got it. Yay!

Since it was 4:00, I decide to head down to Norstan again to check out the bank. I can unpack the box later. I find where the bank entrance should be, but it's still blocked off by a wall of plywood. Apparently the bank's still closed. That's when I see a sign with SEB (bunch of swedish words I cannot remember) 10-15. I smacked my forehead with my hand. Swedish banks are only open from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Yup you heard it! I want to be a Swedish banker! Gimme those kind of hours. Oh well I will try again tomorrow I guess. I tired from running around and moving that box.

My walk in on Monday morning.

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:12:51 GMT

So I am sitting here waiting for my box with nothing to do. So here's another picture show, I took my camera as I walked in on Monday morning. Check it out!

Let's start looking at the chemistry building! In front is this nice courtyard. You can see the beginnings of the front door on the right side of the picture.

Such a nice courtyard, it's difficult to get a good shot of the front of the buildings. But this is technically the fourth floor, as the building's on a giant hill. The back you enter from the ground floor.

To the left of the courtyard. As it's summer, all these bike racks are empty. But give it a month and they should be full! (Sweds like their bikes. They bike everywhere, even in the rain as they just pull out their raincoats and rainpants).

The side of the chemistry building, just above the bike racks. Artistic designs on buildings. :sarcasticly: NEVER! How'd a thunk it?!

Only here on Chemistry Street!

So the back of the chemistry building; see what I mean by hilly?! And that's only half the hill really.

What?! More art! When will the madness end? You can see this in the previous pic, but I like how the light hits it. So here it is in it's full glory.

And one last building, the one kinda behind the 'Kemi' (pronounced Shemi) Building. This one leads to the road I am about to show and as in the previous pic, I like the lighting as the sun rises on the building. Don't ask what they do there, as I have no idea.

Now you should be scratching you head, "why in the world is this boy showing you construction?" Well first, this is the road behind the Chem Building, and I walk down it a lot. Also, it is because at the beginning of the summer, this whole road was put under construction. In one week it will be completed. Yup, three months is all it takes USA, not three years! Learn from the Sweds. Construction can take place in a reasonable amount time. Expect an updated pic as proof when I get the chance.

Looking down the opposite way from the last photo. They finished the tram stop already even! Last week, this was all broken gravel, trunks, and messy. Here's to effcient construction crews! They even work on weekends, and there's no one holding a sign for traffic. Wow. o_O

Further down the street.

As you travel down the street, I spy with my little eye ... THREE BAGS OF POTATOES! WhaWhaWhat? Only in Sweden do you find three bags of potatoes on a restaurant's doorstep at 8:30 in the morning.

And this has been bugging me since I first saw it! A swimming pool store? Cause I have seen sooooooo many swimming pools in the middle of Gothenburg. NOT! As to how much business they actually do, I have no clue. But they exist. Again, whod a thunk it?

Back to the construction (same street mind you), but you can see what the buildings look like too. They oddly make my walk in the morning that much nicer.

I ventured into the part that runs along this street, just for the fun of it. ....

I really liked this shot ...

Back on the street, we approach this bike/walking path. There's street for cars on either side, but I really like how the city's tried to accommodate walkers, bikers, and aesthetics of the city as it built its roads. And this looks way prettier in person, I think I had too much light in the shot.

There's even 7-11's! Can you believe it? I've yet to go into one, but they are littered throughout the downtown area (i.e. not where I live but closer to the center part of town). Seems you can't escape their mighty grasp!

Finally down to the waterfront! Well it's really a canal, but even here, they've built a park along the edge. It's really pretty. Sweds also love their nature because they get so little of it in the winter. They soak it up whenever they can. For lunch, this place will be full of people just lounging around.

An ampitheatre! Right in the middle of the park. How cool!

Can't escape at least one picture of the canal ...

Or two!

Or three! At least it's a different canal.

Now this is strange, steps leading down into the water?! WHY? My best guess it was a working canal one time. So they needed areas for people and/or things to exit and enter the boats. Still, weird!

Just past the steps, peering out to the ocean.

Finally! The Folk University, where I study svenska (Swedish). The Folk University (Folkuniversitetet) as you can see is apart of a larger building, almost like a strip mall. It's not overly huge, but it is one building of many in the country. (From their website) Folkuniversitetet is an adult educational association that offers a wide range of adult education all over Sweden. It is an association of five foundations: the extra-mural departments attached to the Universities of Stockholm, Uppsala, Göteborg, Lund and Umeå.

So this is actually just one of many satellite schools.

Our break area where we spend all our free time. (30 minutes everyday, split into 2 15 minute periods). it's nice to just get a mental break.

And finally, the hallway. Nothing glamorous, just a hallway. But it shows how the school isn't very big. There's maybe 6 floors, and that's it.

Now it's onto figuring out this whole bank account thing. :sigh: will it ever be done?!

Whata way to start a Monday

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 22:50:41 GMT

Another Monday, another week of svenska klass. I learned on Friday, that my teacher Leonora was only going to be our teacher for one week. Apparently her REAL job, teaching psychology, is making her go back. It sounded like Leonora knew she only could teach one week, which makes me thing Ingrid was our teacher to begin with. But maybe she was on vacation last week. Leonora out, Ingrid in! I honestly had a lot of fun last week with Leonora. Yes, she lacked a lot of structure, nor did she speak totally in Swedish. I dare say I could learned a lot more, but I really liked how she was telling us about the things to do and see in Goteborg as well as how to try and interact with people rather than learn every single Swedish language rule. Before we left last week, we (thanks to Kelly!) nabbed some pictures ....

This is Leonora, myself, and Kelly.

And this is the whole class: Leonora, me, Ilaria (who is from Verona, Italy and sells wine), Kelly, and Andrey (who is from Russia and works with marine technology as the area director for Cuba, Venezuela, Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean). Ilaria is extremely nice while Andrey's a lot of fun and chatty.

And Leonora looks exactly like Paula, pictured here on the left. Paula started my project and was practically the lab mom when I started.

Apparently, Paula is Hungarian. Who knew?

Anyways, our new teacher, Ingrid, is a lot more like my Spanish teachers in the past. And if I was 16, I'd be complaining. But I'm a little older, a little wiser, and it was very refreshing to learn some of the (many many many) rules behind the language. For example, it was extremely difficult to learn how to make nouns plural. Before I was just memorizing them all (it's not as simple as putting s at the end of everything); apparently there's 5 rules! Part of me misses the enthusiasm, but I appreciate Ingrid's classroom presence, structured environment, excellent understanding of the language, and experience teaching Swedish. The random things I was learning last week are finally coming together!
After class I called DHL. They could not deliver my package because you cannot get in my building door without a key. So they are going to deliver it "in the pm" tomorrow. Hopefully it will be after I get out of class. After then I walked (the long way) down to Nordstam to get a cell phone, AAA batteries (battery charger to be exact) and to try and setup my bank account. Andy suggested I go with SEB (it's his bank as well). I can't argue with it, they sound like one of the larger banks in the country and their main branch is in Nordstam itself.

I stopped at the phone place (Telia) on my way. I looked at the phones, trying to make heads or tails of all the phones and phone plans. I wanted to get a cell phone basically so I can make local phone calls (Vonage is not the most helpful for calls to Sweden). I knew basically what I wanted though. I wanted a phone with a SIM card that would allow me to 'Pay-As-You-Go' and that would also work in the US. So if I head back to the US (say for a conference), I could just get a US Sim card to use it there.

I did some reading about cell phones before I went shopping, and apparently the US and Europe basically use different bands. From my understanding, it's a lot like the Betamax/VHS wars in the 80's. The US went one way, while Europe and the rest of the world went another way. I think we'll lose this war after a while, but it'll take some time (go US political machine! :( ). Our cellular system isn't even complete. Anyways, I checked out phones, trying to learn the features and prices. But it was getting close to 4:00 and I knew the banks would be closing soon. So I went to Nordstan and found an On/Off (think if Radio Shack married a BestBuy and had a baby = small electronics store) to buy the battery charger. Then I started looking around for the bank. It took a while to circle the mall to find the bank, but once it I found it it was tough not to notice it. They pretty much have the whole side of the mall. Bad thing was I couldn't find the regular branch part of the bank, just all the offices. Finally I went into one of the offices areas to be greeted by a security guard. Apparently the bank is closed at the moment due to mall construction. Can you believe it? Closed (a bank none the less) because of exterior construction. In the US, we'd keep the bank open (bank hours are almost sacred!) and work around the construction. Apparently here they just close it. WEIRD!

So I walked around the mall to price more phone. There were more than 6 I visited, and I bet I missed a bunch. Every store had the same phones, but Telia was slightly cheaper. So I went back to Telia to buy my phone. I was a little nervous because 1) I didn't know which button to push to get the correct ticket to get service 2) If anyone spoke English (I'm still unsure about that) and 3) If I'm really going to get what I want. Well I did press the right number and got a really helpful guy. I saw two Sony Ericson phones that I though would fit what I wanted. So I explained my situation (US person, want to make local calls, SIM card, use phone in US) and asked what the differences were between phones. Other than cosmetic differences (one was a flip phone while the other was not), the slightly more expensive one (1700 versus 1500 kronor) had a larger memory card. I went with the less expensive Sony Ericson w200i. I like it! Of course I played with it all the way home on the bus (too tired to walk home since I took the long way there). Of course I hit the mp3 player at some point and couldn't figure out to get it to stop playing. I wonder what was going through the minds of the Sweds as I fumbled to shut it off! lol Tomorrow I try the bank again after I get my package.

My Room!

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:11:58 GMT

So as promised, now that I finally setup my dresser, here's updated pics of my room. It's really small (20 square meters/200 square feet or so), but I like it. I don't need much really, despite what I told you in the past. Now all I need is that box from my dad so I can have a few pictures and books. Anysways, on with the SHOW!

Laundry, what an ordeal!!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:09:38 GMT

Laundry sure was difficult Friday night. In order to do laundry you sign up for a 90 minute block. That was fine, I signed up on Wednesday so I could find a time when I wanted. I chose 8:30 - 10:00 on Friday night basically to ensure that I would go home at 5:00 on Friday (something I hadn't done all week) in the laundry right outside by building door.

By signing up, you activate your door tag, which lets you into the building but not your room by holding up to the sensor that allows you into the laundry room using the same type of sensor at the appropriate time. So I haul all my down into the basement of my building and finally get inside to check it out. Previously I couldn't go exploring in there because I wasn't signed up to do laundry.

Anyways, my laundry room has three of those water efficient washers and driers. You know the kind of washer; it looks more like a dryer than a washer that uses less water and spins really fast.

So I load all my laundry into two machines, add the detergent to the cup, press the button to the appropriate temperature settings, and hit the start button. And it beeps at me, not wanting to work. Now Andy had warned me that these washers had three setting, hot, hotter, and hottest. The lowest was 40 degrees, which I only assume is centigrade. So I set everything low. But I didn't know what the next set of buttons was for. So I spend the next 15 minutes or so, playing around. Finally I play with the third machine that I wasn't using. I close it and try to start it, and it works! Apparently when you close it, you really have to push hard on the handle to lock it. Without the clothes in there, it's a lot easier. So crisis adverted, I start me clothes. Yay. Unfortunately I could not open the washer once I started it to check the water temp. Once you set it, you have to 'forget it!' (I <3 Ronco Food Dehydrator infomercials!).

Forty-five minutes later, I come back to put my clothes in the dryer. Much easier to set here, as everything worked off a timer. Now I had used 45 minutes of my time washing, but there was a sign that also stated that you could dry 45 minutes into the next wash time. So I only set the dryers to 90 minutes and came back at 10:45.

On my way out of the laundry room, I noticed a metal door into a basement type area. So I tried one of my "I have no idea what you open" keys and it worked! It turned out to be a storage area, a little battered, but a storage area none the less. Basically it was one long hall of chained in storage areas, mostly filled with boxes. Some also had seen much better days with the doors bent in half. But I found the only empty two to be somewhat functioning. Now some areas had room number written over them, while others did not. I finally decided to take the slightly smaller one with a less bent door and no number above it instead of the bigger one with a more bent door and a number above it. Saturday I moved my empty boxes into it. Now all I need to do is buy a lock. And if someone wants to bother my boxes before then, it's no big deal really. I'm just saving the boxes for when I move really.

Also in the front of the storage area was a really big. Thick Mattress Pad. SCORE! Yeah, I pilfered that lickety split. It wasn't even in a storage room, so I figure no one wants it. Shhhhhhhh.

Anyway, back to the laundry. So everything was going good until I go get my laundry. Apparently they turn off the machines at 10:00. Why? You've got me. I mean, in my dorm in undergrad, laundry was running all night long. But my dryers were shut off ~10:15. Even worse, all my laundry was nowhere near dry. Sigh. OK next time, high heat and start earlier in the day is in order. So I went to bed with laundry scattered all around my room.

I'll take pictures of all these new places when I get fresh batteries for my camera. Speaking of I did find a new grocery store. It's called Willey:s (don't ask my why there's a colon there, it just the name) and right on my way home, a little further than the Tempo down the street but still ~5 minutes. I didn't think it was a grocery because on the outside it looks like a home improvement store, but I wanted to check it out on my way home. Even better, it carries different brands than the Tempo. I love choices, so it's nice to have two stores close.

As for yesterday, I finally cleaned my room!!!! Yay! Everything picked up and put away. That is until I pick up that box from my dad. I still am unsure how I am going to get it. I could pick it up, but it weighs 100 pounds, making it difficult to transport. And I am unsure if they will attempt to deliver it again. Oh well my Monday errands include, going to the mall to get batteries, opening a bank account now that I have a Swedish ID number (Personnummer), and to call DHL about my package.

Slottsskogen!

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:16:10 GMT

Boy Slottsskogen was a lot of fun! And Man is that place huge. Check it out. Kelly lives right by it, so we went to her place to drop off our things. Then we walked (about 25-30 minutes) to the park. We were supposed to meet up with a group from teh Folkuniversitet (my Swedish School) but we left work too late to meet with them. So we walked around on our own. Basically we just had enough daylight to walk around and see some of the animals. Check them out!

Just as I walked into the park, there's this giant huge field. Volleyball to the left, and just grass to the right to do whatever you want. Sweds, like I've said before, really like the outdoors. Many just like to sit and enjoy the outdoors. Most people were just sitting out in the grass soaking up the sun. Must be because they see so little of it during the winter.

A cement picnic table. only the Swedish could think of things.

To the right of the giant field. See how hilly it is? Well to the left it rises extremely fast (about 50 feet) to a plateau. in front though is the beginning of the zoo. It's the ....

Penguins! Amazingly they weer outside as it was over 80 degrees and very humid. When we stepped up, I saw flippers flying! Apparently there was a small spat.

After the dust and feathers settles, most the penguins paired off into couples, which makes sense if you have seen March of the Penguins (you haven't?!?!?!?! Go rent it NOW!). The penguins were also really loud, constantly trilling and calling. Jeez.

The next area was home to this pretty waterfall and the pelicans. You can seem the hanging out in teh back right corner. they're actually really big. I'd estimate one would come up to my waist. WOW.

Before the pelican though, check out what was hanging out in the grass in front of the pool! A momma bird and her chick. I was impressed with how close we could get to the animal here. In the States, everything is 200 feet away from you, surrounded by a pit or a wall of glass. Don't let the size here fool you. That chick was tinytiny!

And here's the pelican when he decided to come out and patrol the lake. heh.

OK, next we went up to see the MOOSE and deer! of course this meant transversing that giant hill I mentioned earlier. We actually crossed over the waterfall. This is a picture from the top of the trail. if you look closely, you can see the beginnings of the waterfall. Nothing like this could exist int eh States. Can you just imagine the lawsuits. One small handrail. Not handicapped accessible? tons and tons and tons of ways to fall down and crack open your head or worse.

Needless to say, all this lack of modernization leads to some extremely beautiful spots where you can go and just enjoy nature. Right over the hill here, the ground drops off like 30 feet. But I sat on that rock for a good ten minutes just soaking in the area.

And now the MOOSES! Check out how close we got up to him. I was maybe 6 feet away separated by a simple fence. Funnily, neither were really bothered by our presence at all.

Another beautiful shot on the way down from the moose.

And here's the deer. now I know what you're saying, you can see deer in America! And deer are for huntin' not zooin'. We'll they were so peaceful, I really liked watching them.

After the deer, was the petting zoo (which closed when we got to the park) and the seals, who were sunning themselves a little too far to grab a picture. But there was one sitting on the bridge who was constantly rolling over and waving his flipper. I think he liked performing. the seals connected to the pelicans, so we just followed the path out and walked to Kelly's to pick up my stuff, which was good because by that point I was pooped!

As I ran to the tram after picking up my stuff, I noticed a tram arriving for the opposite direction that I wanted to go. But I knew about 7 stops down was the end of the line in Saltholmen. the first day I was ann-Sofie talked my head off about taking the tram to Saltholmen so you can board the ferry to visit the Archipelago, four beach islands to the south of Göteborg. So I said, "What the heck," and took the tram to Saltholmen thinking I could maybe catch some food down there (I had yet to have dinner) and watch the sun set over the marina.

Now the marina was beautiful. If any of you come and visit me, we're definitely going out there to eat ice cream one night. It reminded me of may days in Wisconsin where we would goto Dairy Queen and watch the boats. No pictures though because my batteries ran out in my camera. And there was this one stand there that sold ice cream and fruit and had a Thai restaurant. mmmmm Thai. So I work up the courage to go in and try and order dinner. unfortunately the menu was on the ordering window, and when I stepped up to read it, it opened such that I could not read it any more. Even worse, I couldn't tell what was on the menu (note to self: find someone to translate Thai dishes for me so I will be prepared in the future). No one spoke English, so I chickened out and just bought a couple apples. By the time I finished them (15 minutes), the tram was ready to go, filled will beach-goers on their way home. I kinda snoozed on the way home, but hey that's what trams are for!

Tonight I do laundry for the first time in Sweden. Wish me luck!